Transom-sign



Patented Nov. l5, |898.

l P. M. KLING.

TANsoM slew.

(Application filed Jan. 3, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PETER M. KLING, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TRANSOlVl-SIGN..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,397, dated November 15, 1898.

Application iiled January 3, 1898. Serial No. 665,347. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER M. KLING, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Transom-Signs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to furnish a device to be used on street-cars or the like capable of exposing through a transom the name of a street or the like. It is especially adapted for use on street-car lines which have several switches leading in different directions a-nd over which different cars run for the purpose of indicating the particular direction of the car approaching thereto.

My invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the drawings, Figure I illustrates a side elevation of a portion of a car, showing a transom furnished with my invention. Fig. II is a back View of the transom, showing the manner in which my device is operated. Fig. III is a vertical cross-section taken on the line III III, Fig. II. Fig. IV is an end view of a portion of the top of a car, showing my invention applied thereto.

1 is the frame of a transom having a door la, and 2 and 3 are the glasses secured in the frame 1 and door 1, respectively.

I construct the device, as is best shown in Fig. III, by makingthe frame 1 wide enough to contain my improvement and have the glasses 2 and 3 placed on either side thereof and forming what is practically a double transom.

4 is the side of the top of the car in which the transom is placed.

5 and 6 are respectively upper and lower rollers suitably secured in the ends of the frame 1 and which are supplied at one end with the bevel-gears 7 and 8, respectively.

9 is an upright rotatable shaft supported at the end of the frame l and which carries the two bevel-gears 10 and 11. These bevel-gears 10 and 11 are adapted to mesh with the bevelgears 7 and 8, respectively, which are carried on the rollers 5 and 6. The lower one of said bevel-gears is placed at a distance somewhat above the bevel-gear 8, and the shaft 9 is capable of being raised and lowered, so as to throw either the upper or lower gear into engage ment, as is desired by the operator.

12 is the lower end of the shaft 9, which extends down into the inside of the car, which is furnished with a handhold 13 for the purpose of easily revolving same.

14 is a curtain secured to the rollers 5 and 6 and which bears the names that it is desired to expose through the transom 2.

15 is a spring secured to the end of the frame 1, having a pin 15 at its extremity adapted to engage in an annular groove 9 and to press against the shaft 9 and hold the upper bevel-gears in engagement.

9b is an upper bracket for supporting the shaft 9, and 6L is a lower bracket for supporting the end of the lowerroller 6 adjacent to the shaft.

The device is operated as follows: The curtain 14, bearing,we will say, the signs Grand ave. and Park ave, is placed so that the sign Grand ave. is exposed through the transom 2. If now the car is running over, say, .the Park-avenue branch, the shaft 9 is turned by means of the handhold 13, which revolves the roller 5 by means of the bevelgears 7 and 10. (See Figs. II and III.) This will wind the curtain 14 as far as is desired, so as to expose the sign Park ave. If now the car is again used over the Grand-avenue branch, the shaft 9 is drawn downwardly, so that the bevel-gears 8 and 11 mesh and the said shaft is disengaged from the pin on the spring 15, and the said bevel-gears 8 and 11 when the shaft 9 is turned cause the curtain 14 to be wound over the roller 6 far enough to once more expose the sign Grand ave. It will be vreadily seen that any number of signs may appear on the curtain 14: and that their exposure through the transom 2 may be either alternate or successive.

While I intend to use my invention for the purpose described to indicate the branch over whicha particular car is to run,I do not limit myself to this use, as it is capable of many other services, such as displaying advertisements or the like.

By constructing a transom to receive a .changeable sign Idispense with the necessity of hanging signs on the exterior of a car, and

at the same time the sign can be more readily seen and is more out of the way.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- A belt-sign comprising a double transom, uppeil and lower rollers journaled within the transom, the lower bracket providing a support for one end of the lower roller, the apron extending from roller to roller7 the upper and lower bevel gear-wheels mounted on the upper and lower rollers respectively, the vertical shaft formed with an extension having :L

handhold and with an annular recess and provided with upper sind lower bevel gearwheels, the bracket for supporting the upper end of the shaft, and the spring having a pin :tt its onter end en gagging the annular recess in the shaft for supporting the latter in its raised position; substantially as described.

PETER M. KLING.

In presence of- E. S. KNIGHT, N. V. ALEXANDER. 

